Opinion Blog

Migrant children debate makes us question our own DNA and motives

There are a lot of disheartening elements to the migrant children story, and most, even the humanitarian calls, are rooted in complexity and sometimes even hypocrisy.

The politics are variations of old immigration politics — secure the borders, no amnesty and send those here back to their country of origin. The humanitarian portion is equally flawed — don’t make criminals of people, young or old, who are seeking a new life in this country — an argument that basically suggests that the U.S. must take everyone who comes to these shores, regardless of how they get here.

What this migrant children crisis reveals about us as a nation is that hypocrisy rules. Much of this country’s DNA is the result of immigration, an idealistic hope found on the Statue of Liberty that fueled immigrants to come here and start successful businesses against long odds. The other side of immigration is fear of people who are different, something Irish, German, Chinese and immigrants from scores of other nations encountered throughout this country’s history. The children are living breathing metaphors for both sides of America’s ongoing immigration ambivalence.

Like my colleague Tod Robberson, I saw the pictures and read the story of Collin County’s efforts not to offer temporary housing for migrant children while the courts sort out their legal status. Yes, a majority of the 50 or so people who spoke at the hearing supported the resolution, but others favored helping the children. Not all of Collin County that can deemed insensitive, and not all who oppose government intervention should be labeled anti-immigrant. There are people willing to serve as foster parents who think that is a better solution than government housing, even though temporary foster care raises other complex issues. I also urge you to click here for a broader range of opinions around North Texas compiled by our NeighborsGo staff.

The migrant children crisis is an immigration aberration in that these children – from mere toddlers to teens - can be legally processed either here or inside their home country. The tougher question is whether the outcome is a foregone conclusion under existing immigration law despite the fact that an overwhelming percentage of these children have relatives already in the United States. Unless fleeing gang violence is defined to be an acceptable reason for granting asylum status, these children may be destined to return to a hostile environment where they may perish.

There are many ways to help the children from non profits offering housing to state and local governments stepping up and resolving the shelter issue in an orderly way while their legal status is under review. In the meantime, it is difficult to argue that temporary housing isn’t a must.

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The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board was the first editorial board in the nation to use a blog to openly discuss hot topics and issues among its members and with readers. Our intent is to pull back the curtain on the daily process of producing the unsigned editorials that reflect the opinion of the newspaper, and to share analysis and opinion on issues of interest to board members and invited guest bloggers.